A personal journal about teaching the Bible and ancient Near Eastern history/theology/religion/archaeology to university students in New Orleans, and whatever else happens to be on my mind.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Volunteering at a Public School

Today was my first "official" day of volunteering at John Dibert Elementary, a public school run by the Recovery School District in my Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans. I plan on spending my Friday afternoons helping out and interacting with the students. The screening process to get clearance is pretty rigid, and involves finger printing, drug tests, and thorough background checks, all from different offices. So while I'm not yet cleared to work one-on-one with students, and won't be for months I'm told as the process is lengthy, I was able to move some books around and meet many of the teachers and students. I think I am going to learn an awful lot about public education in New Orleans by working there.